Sheffield Eagles: Fozard puts form down to Aston's influence

Fozard has been a shining light in what has been a difficult couple of seasons, with the 23-year-old often highlighted for his performances in what has been a tough 2018 campaign to date.

Despite the Eagles’ struggles this season, the recent improvement, which was capped by victory over Barrow at the Summer Bash, has given Aston renewed belief as he looks to lead his side up the Betfred Championship standings.

One of the men at the forefront of the revival is hooker Fozard, with the former Saints man claiming his continued confidence is stemming from the man who gave him a second chance in the game after his release from the Super League giants.

“My confidence levels have grown year-on-year while I’ve been here,” Fozard told The Star.

“When I left Saints it was upsetting because I was a kid coming through the academy and all you want to do is play first-team rugby league for a Super League club. To be given that second chance by Mark Aston and Sheffield Eagles has been massive for me. I can’t thank him (Aston) enough for what he has done for me, he brings the best out of me and that keeps happening which is a huge boost for me and a huge boost for the team. When you are playing with a smile on your face, that’s when you are playing your best rugby.”

It hasn’t been plain sailing for Fozard this season, with the Wales international having to overcome a troublesome ankle problem which kept him out of the home drubbing by London Broncos.

But when selected he has often been the Eagles’ stand-out performer, and he openly admits he has been pleased with his form so far during the campaign.

“I am really pleased with how I am going,” he added.

“I’ve been doing 80 minutes in the middle which you don’t see as much, and obviously with the way things have been going until recently I have been putting 50 or 60 tackles a game together, which is tough. I am really happy though with the way my performances are going. Aside from the recent injury, I haven’t been injured for the last two years so I’ve been fortunate in that respect.”